Google Pixel Slate Full Review- Shame or Fame?

The Google Pixel Slate is a Flagship tablet from Google. But, is it worthy enough of being called a flagship?

Updated: 16 Jan, 2019 09:44 AM

The Google Pixel Slate is finally here, most of us have expected this flagship tablet form Google to compete against Apple’s iPad Pro ever since it was announced by Google last year. It’s been a year now and I am pumped to review this device. Let’s find out if the Google Pixel Slate is worth it.

Hardware

I am not sure. Why? but Google has made the Pixel Slate Available to consumers in 4 different variants all these variants have different specs and prices. You can get the cheapest Google Pixel Slate for around $599 and the most spec savvy Pixel slate will cost you over $1599.Okay, even though the Google Pixel Slate might have a weird pricing scheme, the hardware specifications really got me excited as soon as I notice the processor used in the Slate. Unlike iPad Pro’s Apple 12X Bionic chip, Google Pixel Slate is featuring Intel Chips. This review on the Pixel slate is featuring a core i5 processor, 128 GB of storage and 8 GB of RAM.

As Google never disappoints in terms of display, Google again made me happy with the 12.3- inch display, yeah it might be slightly smaller than then the iPad Pro’s 12.9-inch display but, the resolution of 3000 by 2000 pixels makes the display of the Google Pixel slate better and brighter than the ones in the iPad Pro and Surface Pro 6. It was really nice to see the stereo speakers included in the Google Pixel Slate where the speakers face towards you so can you have a better audio experience. Also, these stereo speakers are idle while gaming as you don’t have to worry about covering them with your hands.

Since we are talking about hardware in general, let also mention the power/ lock button which also acts as a super responsive fingerprint. Since it is a flagship tablet by Google it won’t be fair if I don’t mention the single rear and the front-facing cameras and the interesting IO which features two USB-C ports on either side so you could plug in your external Hard Drives, printer, etc.
In terms of design, Google has gone with a clean minimal look with a soft hint of “G” on the corner, if you ask me I really love the look of Pixel slate.

Software

I have no idea how much effort Google put in the Pixel Slate but if you are charging over $1000 dollar for this device you need to live up to the expectations of the customer. I have got one thing to say- the hardware of this device might be pretty but the software optimization is terrible in the table mode. The performance is just fine when you use it as a laptop by plugging in the keyboard which you’ll have to buy separately. I know that Google Pixel Slate is a 2 in 1 device but come on Google didn’t you say it was out there to compete against the iPad Pro?
The Software optimization in Apple’s iPad Pro is far better and you can switch between apps like a breeze, however in the tablet mode of the Google Pixel Slate, switching between apps or multi-tasking feels like playing a game at 15 FPS.

Tough, it was nice that one could install and use apps from chrome store as well as Play store.

Accessories

Yeah, you will have to buy the accessories separately for a “Comfortable” use. The accessories offered by Google is the $99 PixelBook Pen and $199 dollar for the keyboard which we talked about earlier. The $199 keyboard is a backlit one and its round keys look super unique and elegant only if it wasn’t super squishy, the trackpad works great but if you are going to use it as a laptop on your lap instead of a table, trust me you’ll wish you had smaller hands as your beautiful hands will keep triggering the trackpad while you are typing.

Verdict

The Google Pixel slate is a great device in terms of looks, display, and hardware but not in terms of software and performance. Though it offers more features and accessibility than the iPad Pro, the frequent glitches and lags would make me choose the iPad Pro over the Pixel Slate anytime.

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